This place is often referred to as a monument to political greed. More than 70 years have passed since the events described took place.
The New Hebrides Archipelago, on the 83 islands of which the state of Vanuatu is currently located, has been jointly owned by England and France since 1906. This property is called a condominium. Espiritu Santo Island is the largest island in this country.
During the Second World War, this island was the location of the US military base Buttons, which served as a naval harbor, supply base and airfield for the Allied forces from which the Allied aircraft attacked the Japanese.
The Second World War ended, the need for the base disappeared, and the withdrawal of American units began with Espiritu Santo.
During the existence of the base, the island's infrastructure was developed, roads, buildings, and a runway were built. Naturally, during this time, a large number of various equipment, ammunition, food, ammunition, cars, bulldozers, grab loaders and other types of construction equipment were brought to the island.
According to some reports, by the end of the war, there were about nine million tons of materials on the island, worth almost four billion dollars. To what extent this is true is unknown. No other data could be found.
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After the liquidation of the base, it was necessary to somehow dispose of all the imported goods. Naturally, it is impossible to take out the buildings, the runway, the constructed roads, and all this will have to be left.
But the export of material assets to the United States would be a logical decision. But the United States did not need all this stuff.
Attempts were made to negotiate with the British-French administration of the condominium to sell them all this at a large, as they say, tenfold discount. The Americans considered this solution more profitable than transporting all of this to the United States.
It is believed that one of the reasons for the refusal to export equipment, in addition to expensive transportation and a small number of base maintenance personnel, is that returning a large amount of equipment to the United States would negatively affect the US economy, which was booming at that time.
But it was not possible to come to an agreement with the administration of the condominium. The colonialists, apparently, thought that the Americans would leave, and they would get all this for free.
And the local population, known as the Ni-Vanuatu people, were unable to redeem all of this, even at low prices.
Many researchers ask why the civilian equipment, which accounted for the lion's share of all destroyed, was not transferred to local residents who could appreciate this gift, although everyone knows that only Santa Claus or Santa Claus give gifts and then on New Year's or Christmas. So, there was no hope for Uncle Sam's generosity.
The Americans, meanwhile, transferred all the equipment of the base, food, clothing, drinks, cars, tractors, to the southern coast of the island, where a ramp was equipped, extending far into the ocean.
Then, before the eyes of local residents, the destruction of all this began. Trucks, jeeps, medical vehicles went under the water. It was said that the cars switched on the gear, the steering wheel was locked, the driver jumped out of the cab, and the car went straight off the ramp into the ocean.
Rumor has it that even the battle-hardened marines who took part in this could not stand such a sight, seeing how many millions of wealth were being destroyed, and cried like children.
And the local population could only watch as the US military and base personnel dumped all this wealth into the ocean, 90% of which could be used for civilian purposes.
But as they say, don't open your mouth to someone else's loaf and millions of dollars went straight to the ocean floor.
Semi-trailers, boxes with equipment, food and ammunition collided into the ocean by bulldozers, which, after doing all this work, were also thrown into the ocean.
As a result, the waters in the area have been contaminated for a long time with fuel, oil, debris from boxes and various floating debris.
The locals, seeing all this, believed that the Americans were crazy. Of course, after they left, they took out some of the flooded equipment, but these were crumbs against the background of property destroyed by millions of dollars.
The flooding of the base equipment lasted from 1945 to 1947, that is, for two years.
Now this place is called "Million Dollar Point" or otherwise, "Million Dollar Point".
Currently, Million Dollar Point is a landmark on Espiritu Santo Island and has become a favorite destination for divers who flock here from all over the world. Many people want to look at the place where the Americans "buried" millions of dollars and this place is often called a "monument of political greed."
In the light of this story, it no longer seems unusual for our veterans to tell that the equipment supplied to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease and subject to return to the United States was not needed by this country. Already at the port of loading, she went under pressure, and something was subsequently flooded into the sea.